


i can save my sleeping for another empty night

by exexlovers



Category: Legally Blonde - Hach/O'Keefe/Benjamin
Genre: Caffeine Addiction, Developing Relationship, During Canon, Elle Woods And Red Bull, F/M, Law School, Light Angst, Pining, Sleep Deprivation, Slice of Life, Studying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:20:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26635762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exexlovers/pseuds/exexlovers
Summary: 'he blinked a couple times and pulled himself off his mattress. folders and textbooks and a laptop were stuffed into his messenger bag. he grabbed his apartment key and half-empty red bull - thanks, miss woods - and made his way to elle’s building.'⤷ Emmett wasn't surprised to find himself studying with Elle in her dorm at 2AM. The way his heart fluttered when she laughed at his jokes, on the other hand? Completely, totally, utterly unexpected.
Relationships: Emmett Forrest/Elle Woods
Comments: 11
Kudos: 100





	i can save my sleeping for another empty night

**Author's Note:**

> me?? writing for a hetero couple??? has literally never happened before in my six years of fanfic writing. but we love and stan emmett forrest in this house.
> 
> this is also my first legally blonde fic, so please excuse me if it's ooc at all.
> 
> (title is from red light by the regrettes)
> 
> \- kit

For probably the ten-thousandth time in his life, Emmett found himself buried under textbooks, case files, and essays. He’d always liked feeling productive. Something about his self-worth and success being tied to how many words are in his essay or how much money he makes in a week, blah blah blah.

It had become harder to focus on his work in the past month. He had a begrudging suspicion that it had started thanks to a certain sunny-faced, sugary-coffee-toting Elle Woods.

Emmett dragged his hands down his face and stared blankly at his copy of _Jurisprudence and Persuasion_. His eyes vehemently refused to focus.

His phone buzzed with a call across his desk. He picked up immediately.

“Hey, Elle.” he said quietly.

“Oh, you answered quick. Hi. I guess I didn’t wake you up then.” Elle’s voice lacked her characteristic lilt, the rise and fall of pitch and excitable energy. Emmett furrowed his eyebrows.

“No, no. You ever seen me sleep before?”

Elle laughed a little. “I have not. That’s fair.”

“Um,” Emmett migrated from his desk to his bed. “Hey, why are you calling so late? You don’t sound well.”

“Ugh. It’s really not that bad, I shouldn’t be crying.”

“Well, that’s fine. You’re allowed to get upset about whatever you feel like.”

“Thanks, Em.” She sniffled. “It’s, uh… I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed with all the definitions and cases and things.”

“Oh man, me too.”

“Could you come to my dorm? We can study together? Quiz each other and stuff?”

Emmett tried not to smile - as if Elle could even see him. “Yeah. Lemme pack up what I need and I’ll be right over.”

“Okay.” He could hear the smile in her voice. “Just, uh, make sure you text when you’re here instead of knocking. I don’t wanna startle Bruiser and then wake up the whole hall.”

“Okay. See you in a sec.”

Elle scraped her chair across the floor. “Yeah. See you.”

Emmett hung up and tossed his phone onto his pillow. Since when could a girl with a scanty pink wardrobe and coiffed blonde curls make his heart do somersaults? Since when could _any_ girl make his heart do somersaults? 

He had experienced enough proof of the sourness of love, watched his mom hold back sobs until she’d hidden in her room, read enough cases about marital murder and domestic abuse, that he had begun to think there was no winning in love. That was until Elle had cat-walked into his life. 

_Elle._ That girl was something else. With her sequins and hair care, he'd almost expected to be meeting a bubbly party girl who had gotten into Harvard by a stroke of luck. She’d very quickly dispelled that belief.

He blinked a couple times and pulled himself off his mattress. Folders and textbooks and a laptop were stuffed into his messenger bag. He grabbed his apartment key and half-empty Red Bull - thanks, Miss Woods - and made his way to Elle’s building. 

The outside world at 2AM was so foreign. He had walked this same old campus for years, but things were different when the sky was navy blue and the air had a bite to it. Harvard had a quiet hum at night - a hum of exhaustion and determination and drive. Emmett felt comforted, that it seemed like he and Elle weren’t the only ones wired with caffeine and stress.

He breathed in the chilly air, listening to his sneakers strike the cracked pavement. Tried to relax a little.

As expected, his thoughts drifted to Elle. What was she doing right now? Which class was she studying for? Did she think it was weird that he picked up the phone so fast?

Emmett himself wondered whether his speedy response time was attributed to Red-Bull overdose or eagerness to talk to her.

He sighed, to be heard only by the birds and dryads of nature. As if Elle wanted him like he did. She was here for Warner, anyway. The guy was kind of sleazy and rude and not good enough for her, but who was he to say that out loud?

Without really thinking about it, he had made it to Elle’s door. He had made the trip so many times, he could get to her dorm with his eyes closed.

_At your door._ He texted.

In lieu of a text back, Elle opened her door a few seconds later. “Hey,” she smiled delicately, her hair in a haphazard ponytail, joined with a hot pink sweater and white sweatpants. She turned around to let him in, and he noticed the word ‘Juicy’ printed on the butt.

He forced himself to think absolutely nothing of it. 

Elle’s room was immaculate. He had no idea how she had the time - or maybe the efficiency - to stay clean, stay fit, and stay in class all at once. It made his head spin just thinking about it.

“Can I put my stuff on your bed?” Emmett asked.

She looked over from her desk with a puzzled look.

“It’s- I just mean that it’s so tidy and I don’t wanna mess it up.”

“Oh.” Elle turned toward him. “Yeah, go ahead, don’t even worry about it. Takes me seconds to make my bed.”

Emmett picked up one of her pillows and chuckled at it. “Even with the pillow that looks like Bruiser?”

“Even with the pillow that looks like Bruiser.” Her eyes sparkled. “You’ve never noticed that one before?”

He smiled at it for a moment longer. ‘I haven’t. And I love it.”

“Well, how could you not?”

Emmett looked up at her. She grinned, her eyebrows down-turned in faux disbelief, her eyes gleaming like freshly-cleaned glass. She ran the pendant of her necklace along its chain.

To avoid a horribly-timed profession of love, Emmett pointed to her stack of cue cards. “Studying definitions?”

Elle glanced at them and picked them up. “Ugh, God, if I get the definition wrong for _habeas corpus_ one more time-”

“You’ll be fine. I’m right here.”

“Right. Yeah.” She sighed and flipped through her cue cards like they were playing cards. “Em?”

“Yeah?” He ignored the way his stomach flipped at the nickname.

“Do we have to study?”

“I mean…” Emmett sat criss-cross on Elle’s bed. “I’m pretty sure that’s why I’m here.”

“No, I…” She chuckled. “Shut up. What I meant was, we’ve been up all night for weeks, years for you. Can’t we just - I don’t know - hang out for one night?”

“You and me?”

“Yeah, duh. And Bruiser. He’s sleeping but… I thought maybe we could share a Red Bull or coffee or something and just talk.”

“About?”

Elle shrugged. “I don’t know. Whatever comes up, Em.”

Emmett wondered if he was imagining the knowing look in her eyes. Like she could see right through into his soul, like she knew all his reservations and unspoken truths.

“...Okay. If that’s what you want.” He closed his laptop - slowly, hesitantly.

She snagged his drink from her nightstand. “Mhm.”

“If-if you were wondering, _habeas corpus_ is a-”

“No!” Elle covered her ears. “If I hear one more word of Latin come out of your mouth tonight, I’m kicking you out.”

Emmett hummed. “I call your bluff. I don’t think Elle Woods has it in her to kick someone out of her space.”

“Oh, really?” She raised a taunting eyebrow.

“Yep.”

“Well, we’ll see how it goes.”

Elle’s tone of voice was something new. Especially combined with the barely-stifled smirk and narrowed eyes.

Yikes. Emmett groaned inwardly. When did he allow himself to get so smitten?

She got up and handed him an unopened Red Bull can, keeping the one she stole. It occurred to him that Elle was putting her lips in the same place that his had been moments ago.

That shouldn’t have made him feel the way that it did.

“So, did I tell you that it’s Paulette’s dog’s birthday next week?” Elle sat back in her chair and pulled one leg up to her chest. She rested the base of her drink on her knee.

“Aw, Rufus?” Emmett smiled.

“Yeah! You remembered his name?”

“Of course I did, Elle. I remember everything you tell me.”

“Do you? What’s my Zodiac sign?”

“Psh. Easy one. Gemini.” 

“I’ve only said that to you once, on the first day of class.” Elle ran a hand over her ponytail, shaking her head.

“Mhm. And I listened to you.” He shrugged and popped open his Red Bull.

Her gaze fixed on the seam between the walls and ceiling, Elle said, “Sometimes I think you’re the only one that does.”

_Yeah, me too._ Emmett thought.

“I’m sure there’s plenty of people who you talk to, Elle.” Is what he said out loud.

“Yeah, but… nobody actually listens to me or respects me. I’m just some dumb blonde airhead. Even to Callahan.”

“Not to me. So, is Paulette gonna go see Rufus then?”

Elle seemed unfazed by the change of subject. Her eyes lit up with pride and her smile dazzled with excitement as she told him Paulette’s plans and tidbits of their salon chatter.

Emmett sighed quietly. It wasn’t as hard to put away the law books and switch off his brain as he thought it would be. At least not with Elle.

He could do anything with Elle.


End file.
